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Smith & Wesson 327 M&P TRR8
If you spend much time leaning on the counter of your local gun store, you may begin to wonder about the good old revolver's future.
By Joseph von Benedikt
If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that at least 90 percent of the handguns sold today are semiauto.
That's not to say that revolvers don't have their fans. They do, and those fans tend to be pretty dedicated. But the fact is, unless one likes Westerns and Dirty Harry, semiautos tend to have more appeal. They are faster in the hands of most shooters than a revolver, hold a lot more cartridges, are typically reloadable quicker and just simply have more cool factor.
I am one of the aforementioned wheelgun guys. And, yes, I like Westerns, and Clint Eastwood is one of my heroes. And as much as I realize that the semiauto will dominate the future of handgunning, I'm reluctant to believe that it is a better choice for everyone.
Recently I had a chance to test a revolver that stacks up well against any semiauto, and it's one of the coolest guns around.
The Smith & Wesson M&P 327 TRR8 (Tactical Rail Revolver 8) is capable doing almost anything a semiauto can do and some things it can't do. Basically a souped-up version of the 327 Performance Center revolver, the M&P TRR8 was designed for--as the name indicates--military and law enforcement use.
In order to keep weight to a carryable limit, the frame of the revolver is built of a scandium alloy. The cylinder and five-inch barrel are stainless steel, and the barrel is mounted in a shroud--a design that has many advantages, superior accuracy among them.
The cylinder holds eight rounds of .357 Magnum cartridges, which is the same number as a 1911 pistol, and is more powerful than the revered .45 ACP.
Untitled Document
S&W 327 M&P TRR8 |
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| Manufacturer |
Smith & Wesson, www.smith-wesson.com, 800-331-0852 |
| Type |
double-action revolver |
| Caliber |
.357 Magnum |
| Capacity |
8 |
| Barrel Length |
5 inches |
| Overall Length |
10 1/2 inches |
| Weight |
35 oz |
| Sights |
adjustable rear, dot front |
| Trigger |
single/double action |
| Grips |
Hogue rubber (standard) |
| Frame |
scandium alloy N frame |
| Finish |
black glassbead |
| Price |
$1,311 |
The cylinder is also cut for moon clips, so reloading is a snap, and with a little practice reloads are just as fast as with any semiauto pistol. Yet--and this is the neat part--since the .357 is a rimmed cartridge, the revolver functions just as well with loose ammo; no moon clip needed. Show me a semiauto that works without a magazine.
Optics, if desired, are easily attached through use of the provided top rail mount. The top of the barrel shroud is drilled and tapped, the mount easily attached, and best of all, the iron sights are still usable with the rail mounted, as the plane of the rail sits below that of the sights.
Attaching scopes, red dots, and so on is as simple as clamping them to the mount and can provide an added level of performance in certain areas. I really like the fact that a handgun scope in quick-detach rings can be mounted in a matter of seconds, and that provides a significant improvement in long-distance capability--an option that simply doesn't exist in the world of semiautos.
What hotshot, self-respecting sidearm today is complete without a bottom rail for a tactical light? I must admit that at first I was mildly amused by the rail milled into the bottom of the 327 TRR8's barrel shroud. I suppose that law enforcement officers (which of course the revolver is designed for) may need a light on occasion, but for us citizen types, I figured the rail was 110 percent cool but useless.
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